Daniel Roher directs Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu and Dustin Hoffman in this romantic thriller where a talented piano tuner who suffers from hyperacusis discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down.

An expertly entertaining movie – made for adults, shot on location and with beautiful leads. These used to be a dime a dozen when I was a teenager. Now it feels like the rarest of rare bird. Gets the harmony of the stakes, the heart and the drama pitch perfect.

8

Perfect Double Bill: The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)

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Curry Barker directs Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette and Megan Lawless in this demonic horror where a shy guy wishes his crush loved him back and that wish comes way too true.

Hand me that One Wish Willow. I wish that not every up and coming horror director felt that Hereditary’s lighting scheme was the Tabula Rasa. SNAP! Two strong, career making female performances. One deliciously nasty sustained blast of gore. Takes too long to get truly horrible, the sold out audience we saw this with were silent during the shocks. Most straight men in their twenties have been in this terrifying relationship. But I’m not entirely sure that is what the Gen Z director is intentionally satirising. Gleefully paranoid in its best moments.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Backrooms (2026)

Jon Favreau directs Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver in the continued sci-fi adventures of TV’s cutest duo.

Hey kids… wanna see the guy from The Bear play a sensitive yet maxx’d Jabba The Hutt? Where are you going kids? Come back…He has won Emmys and three consecutive Golden Globes?! Kids? KIDS!!… Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder should sue. Top billing Pedro Pascal in this is like saying Bruce Campbell is the star of Darkman. Baby Yoda’s puppeteers should sue. They carry this movie on their backs up the mountain and I can’t find their names anywhere. Sigourney should… Nah, she does alright outta this. It is perfectly pleasant mid-tier space adventure. I think The Mandalorian Disney+ show is the best thing to happen to the franchise since Rogue One. So Favreau and Filoni deserve their multiplex summer spin-off. The only time the comfort blanket slips is when the scale goes up a notch to grand Star Wars battles. What a mad thing to type up about the first Star Wars movie in seven years. Will sell Lego kits. This is the way.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin